The Double Braid Splice Blues

[Brion Toss]

Hi there,
First of all, I feel your pain. Splicing is great when it goes well, but when it doesn't it can be very bad indeed. In this case you have two problems, besides your inexperience.
The first is that New England makes tough rope. Tough as in abrasion-resistant, and it is also wonderfully inelastic. It's my favorite rope, but it can be hard to splice.
But the bigger problem is that any double-braid rope can stiffen up horribly with just a little bit of weathering. Not enough that it feels bad to handle, but enough to make it hard to get a tool into.
That's why I always recommend that you do your first splices with brand new rope, and that you don't even think about splicing old rope except in cases of emergency or masochism. Contact the shop and I'll have them send you a length of new rope, just for S&H. You might also try washing the offending piece you now have, being sure to throw in some laundry softener. Then pull the core out to bunch the cover against the knot, and while it is bunched pound it with a mallet. I am not making this up.
Remember, the entire point of the tool is to make splicing easier, so if you are hitting any other walls, be in touch.
Fair leads,
Brion Toss